San Diego Criminal Justice Memorial
Honorees
A memorial directory honoring deceased judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys who advanced criminal justice in San Diego County.
Hon. Robert O. Staniforth
1916-1995
Justice Robert O. Staniforth, a native of Colorado, decided to attend law school after a three-year high school teaching career. During his studies toward a Ph.D. in political science, he became fascinated by the legal process. He began at the University of Southern California Law School in the 1940’s. His legal career started in 1945 with an appellate clerkship for “Wild Bill Healy” (William Healy).
He also clerked for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and for California Supreme Court Chief Justice Phil S. Gibson.
When he joined a law firm in San Diego in 1947, his practice began with criminal defense work and moved toward business law. While serving on the municipal and superior courts in San Diego County from 1959 through 1976, he participated in the adjudication of many criminal cases. He also served two years as presiding judge of the Superior Court criminal division. He was a driving force in setting up the criminal readiness department there and was awarded Judge of the Year by the San Diego Trial Lawyers in 1975.
In 1976, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Justice Staniforth to the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division One. Justice Staniforth served with distinction for 10 years. In 1979, the California Supreme Court named Staniforth to the Commission on Judicial Performance, an independent agency that investigates charges of misconduct by state judges. The Commission became a model institution for every other state (LA Times1/29/81).
He brought to both criminal and civil matters his deep concern and respect for individual human beings and their rights and duties as members of society. For example, in 1980, he expressed concern that a Marine defendant accused of murder in North County courts might be tried by a racially imbalanced jury and ordered a feasibility study to try to determine how more blacks could be enlisted as jurors (LA Times 4/10/80).
For five years, he taught trial techniques at the University of San Diego Law School. Upon his retirement in 1986, he continued to accept numerous assignments to superior courts, Courts of Appeal, and private judging. When he died tragically and suddenly of a heart attack in 1995 at age 78, he was preparing to conduct an upcoming trial. Sadly, his beloved wife of 40 years, Ruth, soon followed him in death, of what their friends called a broken heart.
Justice Staniforth was happy in his work, producing 15 of his 258 published opinions after retirement. His passion was always for justice and respect for the individual.